Most golf bags may be in the form of a tubular fabric or leather container having a generally cylindrical configuration with a closed bottom end and an open top end through which golf clubs are inserted into and removed from the golf bag. Although golf bags are manufactured in a variety of sizes and materials so as to better suit various intended uses, golf bags are conventionally grouped into two basic classes. The first class of golf bags are relatively large and heavy, and therefore are not very well suited for carrying by the individual (e.g., cart bags), while the second class of golf club bags are generally smaller and lighter and are designed to be carried by the individual during play.
The second class of golf bags are usually referred to as “carry bags” which are carried by the individual using a carrying strap that may be used to lift and carry the golf bag. Many of these types of carry bags have an extensible bag stand devised for supporting the golf bag in a substantially upright position whenever the individual sets down the golf bag on a surface. A widely used and well known extensible golf bag stand has been devised for demountable attachment to the side of golf bags is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,236 which describes a golf bag stand having a pair of legs with one end pivotally attached to one portion of the golf bag and another end engaged to a retraction mechanism. The retraction mechanism is configured to operate with a toggle mechanism that causes the retraction mechanism to retract and collapse the pair of legs from a deployed position to a retracted position whenever the golf bag is lifted and carried by the individual. However, the retraction mechanism for such golf bags can become worn after repeated use and lose the ability to effectively collapse the legs to the retracted position. A worn retraction mechanism can also lose the ability to maintain the pair of legs in the retracted position whenever the golf bag is carried because one or both of the legs may droop due to the loss of tensile strength in the retraction mechanism that retains the pair of legs in the retracted position.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements among the view of the drawings. The headings used in the figures should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the claims.